Heroic fightback denies C.D. win

Press, 25 January 1989, Page 60

Heroic fightback denies C.D. win

PA Palmerston North A heroic fightback by the lower order Otago batsmen thwarted Central Districts attempts to win its Shell Trophy cricket match at Palmerston North yesterday. The defences of the Otago tailenders, Ken McKnight and Vaughn Johnson proved impregnable and the match finished in a draw with stumps pulled 13 overs early and the home team having to settle for first innings points only. Otago was a magnificent 332 for eight at the close. ' t ...

C.D. had rolled Otago for 193 on Monday courtesy of its spinners Paul Unwin — who took 10 wickets in the match — and Stuart Duff. And Otago looked out for the count at lunch yesterday when it was 117 for four, still 114 runs short of the 231 it needed to make C.D. bat again. Otago had also lost its apparent batting dangermen, Ken Rutherford and Bruce Blair, to rash shots off Unwin in the space of three balls. With the soft pitch continuing to give some assistance to the

spinners, C.D. was confidently looking to an innings win by mid-after-noon. But it reckoned without the fighting qualities of the other Otago batsmen and the strip losing its potency as the afternoon wore on. Even though the openers, Peter Dobbs (37) and Stu McCullum (30), provided valuable knocks it did hot look enough when Unwin dismissed them. But Kevin Burns returned to form in this match with a sterling captain’s innings. Coming in at No. 3, he

was at the wicket for almost three hours for his solid 65 to go with his first innings top score of 56. McKnight was dropped by Stu Duff off his own bowling when he was on one and went on to score 56 not out. The C.D. batsman and double centurion on Monday, Mark Greatbatch, was named “man of the match.” . ’ " ’.'-I . CENTRAL DISTRICTS First innings 424 for 3 wkts dec OTAGO First innings 193 i Second innings

P. Dobbs c Greatbatch b Unwin 37 S. McCullum c and b Unwin 30 K. Burns c Douglas b Duff. 66 K. Rutherford b Unwin . . 16 B. Blair c Douglas b Unwin 0 K. Ibadulla c Blain b McKenna 69 J. Lindsay c and b Duff. . 3 N. Mallender lbw b McKenna 23 K. McKnight not out... . 56 V. Johnson not out 18 Extras (b 5 lbB, nb1).... 14 Total (for 8 wkts) 332 Fall 58, 77, 111, 111, 187, 195 239, 252. Bowling: T. McKenna 15, 7, 20, 2; P. Unwin 45, 15, 110, 4; S. Duff 60, 17, 11, 2 (nbl); G. Logan 14, 2, 44, 0; K.' O’Dowda 8,1, 23, 0; S. Briasco 2,0, 2,0; M. Greatbatch 2,1, 6. 0.